At present, the manufacture of certain elastomeric and polymer latex articles (such as surgical or examination gloves used in hospitals and other medical facilities, work gloves, prophylactics, catheters, balloons, etc.) typically involves two major processes, namely the on-line dipping or forming platform process (also known as the primary manufacturing process) and off-line processing (also known as the secondary manufacturing process), that occur prior to final processing and packaging.
In the primary manufacturing process, the elastomeric articles are formed using molds that are subjected to, for example, cleaning, dipping, and curing processes. After these processes are complete, the elastomeric articles are stripped (i.e., removed) from the mold by a human operator manually stripping the elastomeric articles (with or without the aid of machines) or, in certain cases, using an automated stripping machine. After the elastomeric articles are stripped from the molds, the elastomeric articles may be subjected to one or more off-line surface treatment processes (i.e., secondary processing). For example, the elastomeric articles may be subjected to an off-line chlorination process, which may involve chlorination, lubrication, and tumble drying. Additional processing may include quality and integrity testing, and ink marking to indicate, for example, a lot number, date, etc. In some cases, the elastomeric articles may be inverted and/or flattened to facilitate packaging, and in some cases the elastomeric articles may be cuffed prior to packaging. For example, a surgical glove may be manipulated such that all or a portion of the wrist and/or palm portions of the glove are inverted and folded over the palm or both the palm and finger portions of the glove to facilitate sterile donning of the glove. The completed elastomeric articles are then packaged for distribution.